Chapter 1429: The First Demon
The Other Shore was in turmoil. How many years had it been since something like this had happened? A god had become angered, actually issuing such a divine decree, ordering the entire world to kill a single person, causing the whole realm to buzz with noise.
Whether it was the Divine Domain or the ancestral lands of the various races, all were shaken beyond words. When a god grows angry, millions must fall, blood must flow like rivers, and the entire landscape will be dyed red.
Just who was this man named Ye Fan, to have provoked such divine wrath? It was truly chilling and incomprehensible.
Clearly, he was a blasphemer, an unforgivable, lawless great demon to the extreme. Otherwise, he could never have made a god so furious.
In this age of divine rule, the god had always been peaceful and pure, the embodiment of compassion and holiness—never angry, never wrathful, never agitated, never evil, never hateful, possessing a clear and tolerant heart.
On this day, everyone across the entire realm was discussing the name Ye Fan. To be hated by a god, he must surely be extraordinary.
Before long, various news began to spread. It was said that Ye Fan was a great demon from beyond the realm, who had destroyed the foundations of the Divine Domain and shown disrespect to the ruler. He was the greatest heretic to appear since the god's reign began.
"Twenty or thirty years ago, a believer went mad, broke off a branch of the Ancient Tree of Life, and fled the Other Shore. According to legend, he was seduced by this demon."
"How is it that I heard it was because he destroyed a vague incarnation of the god? Isn't that the case?"
"How could the god, so sacred and pure, peerless in the world, have his incarnation destroyed unless another god appeared? Clearly, it was for other reasons. He brazenly blasphemed and committed great evil, so much so that even the god could not forgive him."
...
The entire world seemed to explode. This man named Ye Fan became the focal point of heated discussion, drawing attention from all directions. Many ancient lands sent people out to search for him.
In this realm, blasphemers were rare. Once they appeared, they would inevitably die, turning into ashes of calamity.
"Is there really a god in this world, commanding the entire realm? And you've become the most wanted man." The Dragon Horse clicked its tongue, looking utterly delighted at his misfortune.
Ye Fan slapped it, pushing its massive, probing head aside. They had already left that forbidden land, because after several shouts, their voices had been cut off by the myriad peaks.
"The Divine Demon Liquid is impressive, comparable to an Immortal Pill. It flowed toward that giant stone coffin. I suspect a major problem is brewing. I don't know what kind of chaos will erupt," Ye Fan said.
Pang Bo said, "Don't worry about that for now. Right now, you've become the heretic of this world. The Divine Domain has issued a decree, ordering the entire world to kill you together. We need to figure out how to deal with this quickly."
This was a headache-inducing problem. It could make moving through this world extremely difficult. No one had expected that cutting down that faith incarnation would alert the god's true body.
"My Source Art is heaven-defying. If I don't want to be exposed while traveling in this world, they have no way to find me," Ye Fan said, unconcerned.
Pang Bo shook his head. "Haven't you heard? When a blasphemer encounters a special envoy from the Divine Domain, their entire body emits demonic aura and is quickly recognized. Clearly, they can sense enemies through faith power, causing them to manifest strange phenomena. You once killed a god, so you'll likely reveal yourself."
"As long as I don't run into a divine envoy, or if the divine envoy falls and meets the Demon King," Ye Fan said. He had the confidence; his Stride Art was unmatched in the world.
Ye Fan saw a figure in the distance that resembled Ji Ziyue. He was no longer worried, feeling that place was very safe. Outsiders couldn't enter at all, and even the god, over the years, had stopped going deeper because of that ancient coffin.
"Let's thoroughly understand this world and uncover the secrets of the Other Shore." They traveled on foot across the realm, witnessing many local customs and traditions.
Of course, they used great power to conceal their true appearances and suppressed themselves with Heaven-Deceiving Array patterns, lest differences in faith power create revealing flaws.
"A pure-blooded descendant of the ancient gods and demons has appeared, named Sanggu. He fought against experts from the Divine Domain, roamed for hundreds of thousands of miles across the eight wastelands, and stepped into the heavens."
"A bitter cultivator called Earth Corpse has appeared in many burial grounds of the Other Shore, absorbing corpse energy and cultivating an indestructible demon body. His Dao power grows stronger, unfathomable."
"A celestial maiden named Xinlan has appeared, causing a sensation. She is suspected to have blood ties to the ancient gods."
In just these past two days, all kinds of news came in. Young supremes were emerging, shining brightly in this world, shaking this realm.
Of course, some young supremes had died, and even some great sages had fallen, casting a shadow over those who had come from beyond the realm. They felt a great disaster looming.
Some hid, some struck out, surviving in this world in different ways, seeking what they needed.
Over the next half month, Ye Fan and the others learned a lot. Fortunately, they never encountered anyone from the Divine Domain and remained safe.
Then, on this day, another shocking piece of news arrived.
The Golden Serpent Lord had wiped out the Heavenly Wolf Clan, slaughtering them all. The entire mountain cliff was dyed red with blood. He had committed boundless slaughter, and now various races were mobilizing to hunt him down.
"Have they gone mad? Being so brutal, aren't they afraid of heavenly retribution? Killing without reason, without principle." Pang Bo was shocked when he heard this news.
Within ten days, the three lords of the Golden Serpent Clan struck again, wiping out the Silver Horn Clan completely. Over a hundred thousand people, including Saint Kings, none escaped the blood calamity. All were slaughtered.
At that place, corpses piled up like mountains, blood formed lakes, Yin fog shrouded the area, and sorrowful clouds hung heavy. It was unbearable to witness.
Not just the natives, but even Ye Fan and Pang Bo were enraged. Such senseless killing was bloody and cruel to the extreme. What did these three snakes want?
Before the Divine Domain could issue a special decree, the strongest of the various races had already acted, hunting them down to eliminate the scourge.
However, the three Golden Serpent brothers did not relent. A few days later, they struck again, bloodbathing the Fire Leopard Clan. Tens of thousands of people from the entire tribe did not escape. The cruelty of their methods was hair-raising.
"What are they trying to do here? Defying the world's will, committing such heinous acts. Are they tired of living, seeking their own doom, forcing themselves into a dead end?" Pang Bo was puzzled. This didn't seem like the actions of sane people.
Ye Fan and the others set out. They secretly observed the three great clans that the Golden Serpent lords had bloodbathed. Ye Fan did not hesitate to consume his own origin, using the Art of Observing the Past from the Veda Sutra to trace back to the source and investigate.
He came to a conclusion: the three Golden Serpent brothers were practicing a terrifying demonic art that required a large amount of powerful blood to break through.
"Serpent Transformation into a God—it must be this technique!" said the Azure Luan Saint. He had heard of the Heaven-Defying inheritance of the Serpent Clan.
This method required absorbing vast amounts of blood and souls, essentially using the fruits of countless living beings to achieve one's own advancement.
According to legend, Serpent Transformation into a God meant a divine serpent shedding its skin, regenerating and growing, transforming into a serpent god!
Of course, this was just an exaggerated claim. The true meaning was that this transformation caused both quantity and quality to erupt simultaneously. Once successful, it was equivalent to a complete rebirth.
Ordinary snakes shed their skin, but the Golden Serpent Clan shed their divine power, soul power, etc. This could be called a primordial spirit transformation, strengthening the primordial spirit, which in turn nourished the physical body, allowing both to advance by leaps and bounds!
In just one month, the three lords of the Golden Serpent Clan had become infamous. They were the greatest villains, second only to Ye Fan. Countless people wanted to eliminate them.
Ye Fan was stunned. He had only killed an incarnation of a god, while the three Golden Serpent lords had bloodbathed the four directions, slaughtering several clans. Yet they were still ranked below him. He was the chief villain. It was truly incomprehensible.
"The crime of blasphemy is grave, involving the Divine Domain. Even if you're not the first villain, you'll be ranked first," Pang Bo said with a laugh.
This was the news they had gathered after careful investigation. Ye Fan's situation was even more dangerous than that of the Golden Serpent lords. If he wasn't discovered, fine; but once exposed, the entire world would unite to kill him.
"Madness! The three Golden Serpents have bloodbathed another race! Over three hundred thousand people, all killed! From Saint Kings to newborn infants, all turned into bloody mud!"
Everyone was shouting, wishing they could immediately kill the three Golden Serpent lords. But they possessed an ancestral artifact, the Serpent Array Diagram, which could break through the heavens, allowing them to come and go freely. Even great sages couldn't trap them.
On this day, the Temple Knights set out. This was a divine army that had disappeared for thousands of years, specially tasked with slaying evil. They were the strongest force dispatched by the Divine Domain.
However, when the divine army appeared, their first target was actually Ye Fan. They wanted to eliminate the number one chief villain first.
Pang Bo was dumbfounded. "These three worms are killing indiscriminately, causing boundless blood calamities, yet they're always ranked second. Their evil reputation spreads far and wide, which in turn elevates Ye Fan, the first villain, even higher."
"Deliberate. The three snakes of the Golden Serpent Clan have malicious intentions. Their hearts are venomous," the Dragon Horse said in alarm, offering his judgment. He believed that the three Golden Serpent brothers might have initially acted to cultivate their demonic art, but later, seeing the transcendent status of the blasphemer ranking, they deliberately struck bloodily, indirectly elevating Ye Fan, the villain, even more.
The Black Bear Saint said, "You're overthinking it, aren't you? Although these three Golden Serpents are vicious, they wouldn't go so far as to harm others without benefiting themselves. Doing this puts them in great danger too."
The Dragon Horse was a true conspiracy theorist. He believed the three Golden Serpents were venomous, cultivating themselves while also harming others—brutal, ruthless, and hateful.
The wind rose, leaves fell. Amidst a stretch of mountainous terrain, there was an autumn-like killing intent, making people feel a chill.
Ye Fan, Pang Bo, the Dragon Horse, and the others were intercepted. After a month of peace, they encountered enemies for the first time. And these were no weaklings; they seemed extremely powerful.
On a massive rock stood a towering figure. His hair was a grayish-brown, exuding a terrifying aura, like a great sage who could swallow mountains and rivers.
"To have such an extraordinary aura at the Saint King level, with an understanding of the Dao that surpasses his realm." Ye Fan's heart skipped a beat, and his expression turned serious.
Suddenly, the man turned around. He was a tall, elderly man, but his body was not lacking in vitality. It shimmered with a bronze luster, his tendons writhing like dragons and snakes.
Grayish-brown hair, terrifying silver pupils—these indicated that he was very old, a fearsome Saint King standing at the final glorious peak of his life.
Judging by the state of his blood energy, in a few more years, he would begin to enter his twilight years and start declining.
"Strange. Such a terrifying Saint King, with an extraordinary understanding of the Dao, why has he stopped here without breaking through to the Great Sage realm?" Ye Fan was puzzled, because this person was too unusual.
This old man was at the same realm as Ye Fan, both at the fifth level of Saint King. His aura was like an abyssal sea, unfathomable. His eyes were cold and emotionless, fixed on Ye Fan and his group.
From afar, four figures rushed over. Each possessed profound magical power, strong auras, and blood energy like an ocean, terrifying beyond measure.
These four were all Saint Kings, extremely powerful. Two were at the sixth level of Saint King, and the other two at the seventh level, even higher in realm than the gray-haired old man.
Yet they showed respect, standing behind the old man, taking him as their leader, not daring to overstep.
Five great experts had arrived. Among them, the old man with grayish-brown hair stood above the rest, possessing an elusive aura that suppressed heaven and earth, making even those of higher realms hold him in awe.
This was the First Army of the Temple. Only five had been dispatched, but with this old man, they seemed capable of sweeping away all enemies.
"Are you the blasphemer, Ye Fan?" the old man asked.
"Who are you?" Ye Fan countered.
"This is a rare, heaven-gifted Saint King from our Divine Domain, the Second Under the Stars," said one of the Temple Knights, unable to hide his reverence for the old man.
"What does that mean?" the Dragon Horse asked.
"Undefeated across the world at the Saint King realm, with only one loss in his life. Hence, he is called the Second Under the Stars," one of them said proudly.
The old man stopped him. "After a defeat in my youth, I made no further progress. I am but a useless man."
Ye Fan, Pang Bo, and the Dragon Horse all felt a warning. This was definitely a fearsome figure. No matter how you looked at him, his spiritual realm seemed transcendent, far surpassing any Saint King they had ever seen.
"First Demon, since you have blasphemed the god, do not blame us for being ruthless. In this battle, the weak bleed and die, the strong sing in triumph." The newcomer was straightforward, not wanting to say more, and prepared to act.
But the Dragon Horse didn't want that. "Have you been brainwashed? Where is there a god? At your level of cultivation, do you still believe in such things?"
"In your eyes, what is a true god? Is it immortality and indestructibility, eternal and imperishable?" one of them shouted.
"First Demon, come and fight!" Behind the old man, the four Temple Knights stepped forward, ready to strike.
Ye Fan found it both amusing and frustrating. He had gone from being a demon from beyond the realm to the First Demon. Even the three Golden Serpent lords, who had bloodbathed several races, were not considered as guilty as the crime of blasphemy.
The gray-haired old man was taciturn, almost silent, extremely cold. His silver pupils flashed with icy light, fixed on Ye Fan, ready for battle.
In the field, a terrifying storm arose. Before the old man even moved, the void around them twisted, as if time itself were about to freeze, shaking the soul.
He was clearly at the fifth level of Saint King, yet he possessed the aura of a Great Sage, with an unattainable height in the realm of Dao enlightenment. He was a peerless opponent.
Ye Fan's expression was grave. He dared not be careless. In the current world, since his own enlightenment, he was confident he could defeat any opponent of the same level. But facing this old man, he dared not be negligent.
This aura was very dangerous, too terrifying!
"Boom!"
The great battle erupted. Ye Fan clashed with the gray-haired old man. He had indeed met a formidable enemy. This was clearly a man at the sunset of his life, about to retire, yet he moved like a dragon and tiger, vigorous and powerful. With a single palm strike, the old man caused heaven and earth to shatter, the Great Dao to roar, and was supremely powerful.
Ye Fan suspected he was facing an imperial prince. Otherwise, how could he be so astonishing? He was a rare opponent. Though at the same realm, his attacks were sometimes mixed with insights into the Great Sage Dao.
Such a strike made even Ye Fan's heart race. It was too fierce and overbearing. Who was this person, to be called the Second Under the Stars?
On the other side, Pang Bo, the Dragon Horse, and the twelve saints faced great enemies, also drawn into battle. Though the opponent had only three people, they were all high-level Saint Kings with surging blood energy.
"Boom!"
Another plain strike. It wasn't some rare ancient secret art. The gray-haired old man simply pushed out a palm, but it was accompanied by the sound of the Heavenly Dao resonating, turning the ordinary into the miraculous, shaking the soul.
Ye Fan's heart trembled violently. He increasingly suspected the old man's identity. Such a person was truly too powerful, displaying part of a Great Sage's fruit and essence at this realm.
This was Ye Fan. If it had been any other Saint King, they probably wouldn't have lasted two or three moves and would have been crushed into meat paste!
"Chi", "Chi", "Chi"
Suddenly, three dazzling golden lights appeared. Three ten-foot-long golden serpents flew in like three golden divine spears, heading straight for Ye Fan.
"Shameless worms! I knew you were vicious and venomous, appearing at a time like this. You harbor malicious intentions and have long planned this. Aren't you afraid the people of the Divine Domain will eliminate you first?!" the Dragon Horse roared.